Sam R. Hall: McDaniel facing true uphill battle

11:05 PM,
Oct. 19, 2013

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A number of people have pointed to Rep. Steven Palazzo's defeat of Gene Taylor in 2012 as the best example of why state Sen. Chris McDaniel can win. Taylor, like Cochran, was a popular incumbent with a reputation of taking care of his constituents who fell out of favor with some because of specific votes he made.

It's a bad example.

Taylor was an incumbent Democrat during a time when the tea party and the Republican Party were dominating the national landscape. It was that national storyline that trickled into swing districts like Taylor's and benefited challengers like Palazzo. The national ...